By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
WORCESTER – One of the most critically acclaimed horror films in cinematic history is undoubtedly 1973’s “The Exorcist.” In fact, it is a benchmark for the genre of supernatural movies. The surprise box office smash received 10 Academy Award nominations and brought attention to something much of the general public may not have been aware of —exorcism. Before Linda Blair made her head turning debut as the demon-possessed Regan MacNeil in “The Exorcist” and stirring up a panic, there was an actual incident for which the film was loosely based on.
Photo/Wikipedia
In 1949, a 13-year-old-boy in Cottage City, Maryland who was referred to as “Roland Doe” or “Robbie Mannheim” was said to be a victim of demonic possession. His episodes were recorded by the attending priest, Raymond J. Bishop, who exorcised the boy. Meanwhile, Massachusetts was no stranger to stories of exorcism, having a high concentration of Catholics living in the area. The College of the Holy Cross has a so-called exorcism room and the most frequently asked question by those touring the campus is, “Are you going to show us the exorcism room?” But will there be echoes of “The Exorcist” for these thrill seekers?
Stories abound regarding Holy Cross room
Currently, the room at the top of O’Kane Hall is used as storage space. Magician Harry Houdini visited the college in 1925 while on a nationwide tour lecturing on the “fraud of spiritualism.” Still, stories abound.
One tale involves how two Jesuit priests locked a young demon-possessed woman in a room in O’Kane Hall for two days for the purpose of performing an exorcism. As to what happened by the third day, the story varies. One version is that both priests were found dead. Another version has one priest dead after being thrown from a window with the other priest being missing. Both accounts have the young woman gone and never seen again.
Photo/Wikipedia
Tom Cadigan, Holy Cross Director of Alumni Regional and Special Programs, told Worcester Magazine, “We were the only Catholic college in New England at one time, so people from all across the region would travel to Holy Cross to get sacraments performed. So, keeping an open mind, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched for a family who may have thought a loved one to be possessed to come to Holy Cross for spiritual help.”
Boundary between natural and supernatural
Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies, said in Holy Cross Magazine, “One thing about Catholicism that sometimes gets lost in the modern era is that the boundary between the natural and the supernatural, at least in traditional Catholicism, is not that stark.”
In 2022, the Office of Advancement extended an offer to the class of 2020, who did not have a traditional commencement due to COVID, to tour of the exorcism room and sign their names on its walls. During a Holy Cross trivia game played at the Holy Cross Alumni Association’s board of directors fall 2022 meeting, the final question: “What was the function of the room on the fifth floor of O’Kane?” Board members cheered enthusiastically, “Exorcism!”
The exorcism room at Holy Cross has a wall plastered with names of those who dared to enter. Aside from the exorcism room, there are rumors of haunts on campus like a tunnel which may have been part of the Underground Railroad. According to the school, there are no records of any exorcism or strange occurrences ever taking place but that has not put a damper on any curiosity about the urban legend.
On the other hand, a few people connected with the movie “The Exorcist” met face to face with tragedy, leading many to believe the film was cursed. A number of people died during the making of the film and an extra was later convicted of murder and suspected in a string of unsolved murders in New York City in the 1970s.
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